Board still reviewing group’s call for ouster

Published 4:06 am, Saturday, March 26, 2016

GIRARD — A citizens’ group pushing for the ouster of the North Mac School District superintendent is continuing negotiations with the school board.

The group, North Mac Citizens for a Vote of No Confidence, presented a petition at the Feb. 24 North Mac school board meeting and aired grievances against the district’s superintendent, Marica Cullen, over issues that include her handling of a carbon monoxide leak at a school in 2014 as well as other safety concerns.

A faulty exhaust pipe at North Mac Intermediate School in September 2014 resulted in 150 students and staff members being sent to hospitals for carbon monoxide exposure. It was part of the reason a state law has since been put into place requiring carbon monoxide detectors in school buildings.

Cullen has been superintendent of the district since 2012, when she was hired from the Illinois State Board of Education, where she was an administrator for four years. She has declined to comment on the group’s assertions or petition.

Robyn Hays, president of the District 34 Board of Education, relayed several items this month to Dave Harmon, a member of North Mac Citizens for Vote of No Confidence, on which the board wanted the group to elaborate.

An email by Harmon to Hays on behalf of the group detailed those points.

“You reference failure to follow protocols, procedures and policies,” Hays wrote in an email to Harmon. “Please provide us with specific policies and procedures that have not been followed and on what occasions.”

Harmon’s response cited a perceived failure to order the initial evacuation of the school during the 2014 carbon monoxide leak, perceived failure to order evacuation of the school during a 2016 suspected oven gas leak, perceived failure to evacuate a school during another 2016 suspected heating gas leak, perceived failure to contact parents of students involved in a bus collision on school grounds, and the perceived failure to create a report for those items.

The board’s request also asked the group to provide specifics when it references claims of a lack of consistency with curriculum, controversy over curriculum leading to difficulty for teachers from administration and assertions that the curriculum is not adjusted appropriately for students’ needs.

Harmon responded with specific policies that the group maintains were being not being followed in regard to the approval of the curriculum by the superintendent.

Several other requests by the board for clarification of allegations regarding staffing and hostile work environments were also answered by the group.

“This would be a teacher item and could easily be addressed and discussed with a proper proactive approach by the board to the staff,” Harmon wrote.

Finally, the board asked for details about assertions there were Crisis Management Handbooks removed from classrooms.

“Do not play games with your community,” Harmon wrote. “Ms. Cullen, along with the board, specifically stated [during a Feb. 10 special meeting] the books were removed … the reason for removal given by Ms. Cullen was the safety of the children was at risk and a new plan was being created. By not having plans in each room, the policy was being violated. Missing plans returned March 7, conveniently after this list was given, but were not the ‘new’ plans as previously stated [as] the reason for removal.”

The group said it is awaiting a response from the board.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.